Horses' habits - cribbing

background source: practicalhorsemanmag.com

But we have not changes only our lifestyles. We interfered in the way horses function, and now they also have to manage in unusual circumstances. One of ways of "managing" is cribbing, meaning one of horses' dysfunctions (right next to eg. weaving, biting wood, nervous prowling around in his stall and rooting in the litter with hoof), that manifest itself in cramps in some neck muscles. Due to cramps, the larynx lowers, and that causes the air to enter the throat with characteristic sound. The horse might spend even 8 hours cribbing, taking up to 8 thousands "cribs" per day. Sometimes, before the air cribbing there is a licking reaction.

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We differentiate two types of cribbing:

Cribbing/ crib – bitting - it demands pressing two upper teeth of the horse (eg. against a fence), and then leaning his body back.

Windsucking - it does not require leaning on anything, as the horse can "crib" due to appropriate mouth opening.

Reasons for cribbing

In order to understand the reasons for horses' bad habits, it is important to realise what are they natural needs and behaviours. Beginning of horses' evolution started 65 million years ago. The oldest connection with humans are dated as far as 15 thousand years ago. However, the first prove of horses' domestication is not older than 6 thousand years. Due to evolution, horses have got used to spending their whole lives in motion, in herd, grazing for 16 - 20 hours and eating up to 50 strains of plants per day. Horses' digestive systems have been accustomed to eating often and to big amounts of low-energy (volumetric) fodders of significant content of fibre.

Innovative systems of horse breeding and rearing are "slightly" different than his natural environment and needs. An ideal example of such negative restriction is day mode of sport horses. Requirements are very particular, expecting them to always be in top shape. Everyday trainings, on which they should be constantly focused, frequent transport to new places, are very stressful factors for the horse. Additionally, those horses do not go out on a pasture, they are born in stables and spend their whole lives in stalls, suffering lack of contact with other horses, possibility of establishing position in group and regular "making use" of the energy they have and which they won't relieve on a carousel.

There is a lot of causes of cribbing, we present a few of them below:

Too little time on a paddock, too much time in a stable

source: pixabay.com

Research has proven that addictions occur in horses kept in stables, not in the ones that graze wild, and they concert approximately 20-35 %. Such negative behaviour usually characterise itself with lack of sense and functions and is defined as reaction to unnatural environment, which results from lack of adaptation to captivity.

The more time the horse spends on a pasture, the less is the risk that he will get bad habits. The easiest way to prevent cribbing then is to provide the horse with enough time on a paddock. What is more, horses need contact with other horses - so if we provide such possibility both on the pasture and in the stall (so they have at least visual contact with their four-legged neighbours) the possibility of cribbing will be lowered. Both these factors will allow the horse to naturally get rid of everyday energy and will prevent boredom.

Poor diet

background: wallpaperscraft.com

Experimental works positively point that horse's diet might contribute to cribbing. This habit is especially apparent at horses before or after a meal. Horses that crib before a meal, probably do so to relax themselves. On the other hand, the reason for cribbing after a meal might be problems with digestive system. In such a case, cribbing serves relief.

If we feed the steed with a lot of concentrated fodder - we have to be careful, as it might contribute to cribbing. What is more, it might also cause irritation of the digestive tract. Horses whose diet lacks volumetric fodder (grass, hay), and is rich with concentrated fodder (especially sweet - e.g. oats, carrot, ready fodder and energy mixtures) might have problems with sufficient production of saliva to stir the digestive track content. Cribbing may be an independent help of the horse to support his saliva production, bringing relief to the digestive system.

Usually we try to properly balance the diet, providing sufficient amount of nutrients that are necessary for fulfilling dietary needs. But we tend to forget about the horses' behavioural needs. Horses, in their natural environment, eat often but little. Then if we increase number of meals and divide the planned food amount per day on few smaller meals, we would decrease the possibility of cribbing occurrence.

 Way of pulling out

source: spalding-labs.com

The way in which we pull out a colt from a mare has enormous influence on his development and occurrence of undesired behaviours. In nature, the moment of pulling out comes after approximately 40 weeks after labour. Currently, breeders pull out a colt from the mother in 3-8 months after labour. It is caused by pure financial calculation - quicker dispatch means saving money on the colt's keeping and immediate financial gain. Unfortunately, too rapid separation from the mother will cause enormous stress at the colt that usually is not yet ready to be independent. In nature, the process of pulling out is gradual. In breeding environment, this process is not right nor conducted gradually, rapidly neither, as it is not fully delayed and initiated by the mare. That is why it's good for the breeders to impregnate two mares at once, so the stress at colts will be lowered when they are kept together after pulling out. That would prevent them from being so susceptible to behavioural problems in the future.

Inheritance

Research shows that warm-blooded horses, especially thoroughbred (folblut) horses are more susceptible to addiction occurrence than other horses - half-blooded or cold-blooded. Tests have been conducted on horses bred in the same conditions, and they unambiguously proved that Anglo-Arabian horses (thoroughbred) have shown more problematic behaviours that French horses (half-blooded). It has also been proven that if addictions appeared in one of the parents, the possibility of progeny having the same problem is 60%. If both parents had problems, there is up to 89% of probability that the colt will inherit their behavioural problems. It is also said that geldings and stallions are more susceptible to undesired behaviours than mares.

Mimicking

A statement that horses learn cribbing from one another is still questioned, because it has never been unequivocally proven. Potentially, more endangered to learning bad behaviours are young horses, but it is not a rule, because the cold might not take cribbing from his mother (only genetically). It is also believed that hierarchy existing in the herd has influence over its members - that means that the subordinate horses, of lower position, might mimic actions of those of higher position. However, the issue of cribbing through mimicking is still an imperscriptible theory, so we should not take it seriously. There is no need to worry that placing a horse near a cribbing horse will contract him - it is not contagious.

Bad habit

Even if we will manage to determine causes of our horse's cribbing and eliminate it, the horse will already get used to this action - after treatment, this dysfunction remains and becomes a habit. This is why it is so important to notice the first symptoms of cribbing and immediate checking for all potential reasons of such behaviour. It is worth to start with change of a diet, ways of holding the horse, maximally extending time spent outside the stable with possibility of feeding him with volumetric fodder and being with other horses, but also running tests for ulcers and hyperacidity. In early stage we have the chance to stop the symptoms. Unfortunately, advanced cribbing at horses is extremely hard to cure. A cribbing horse is like a smoker - he cannot live without doing what he got used to do, because they bring relief and relax him. Researchers point out that while cribbing, opioids are produced in the horse's brain and they cause him to be content, which is similar to taking drugs. However, working on addiction with people has bigger chance of achievement as people can learn self-control and self-restriction. The horse - unfortunately, cannot.

Effects of cribbing

Cribbing causes abrading of teeth and that might cause problems with chewing the fodder, and that in consequence might lead to major weight loss. It is also caused by the fact that the horse spends more time cribbing that relaxing. Links between cribbing and such afflictions as: MND, gastric ulcers, slowed transportation in digestive tract have also been found.

Cribbing with leaning, source: practicalhorsemanmag.com

Prevention and treatment

Contemporarily, horses' addictions became a major problem for their owners, and those usually focus on fighting effects of cribbing instead of its cause.

If we deal with a horse that cribs, we should definitely decrease amount of time he spends in a stall to minimum. If the horse is in a stall, we should get rid of all the surfaces on which he could lean his teeth. Usually we don't have that opportunity, so instead we can line it with soft rubber mat, which decreases abrasion of teeth. Cribs for food and waterholes should be placed low or on the ground, as that also prevents from cribbing. Volumetric fodders should be administered in hanged nets, so their consumption would be maximally overlonged, thus preventing the horse from getting bored. Concentrated fodders, if they are necessary, can be administered in toys or put between a few big rocks in the crib, as that slows their eating. Grain should be administered wet, as that softens the flakes and washes out some sugars.

Cribbers

The most popular solution for cribbing are various cribbers. They are built in such a way that by pressing onto the right places on the horse's neck, preclude the horse from swallowing air, simultaneously disturbing him in taking food and water. Forms of cribbers available on the market are diverse: from regular thong fastened on the neck, through cribbers with metal and leather profiles, fastened on one or two stripes, to those with insertions that slightly electrocute.

Leather cribber, source: valleyvet.com

Effectiveness of such innovation is not total, nor long-lasting. Why? Because the animal not being able to relax and bringing relief in pain through cribbing would be even more frustrated. Addictions do not occur without reason and they are never caused by the horse. The responsible one is always the owner, who most probably did not provide his horse appropriate environment and conditions, most closely reminiscing the natural ones. In result, the horse could not deal with the situation and showed his frustration through cribbing.

More popular alternative to cribbers are muzzles that allow the horse to eat and drink water.

Muzzle for horse, source: amazon.uk

Made from a few metal or plastic bars that folds the whole horse's muzzle. Additionally, they can slow consumption and extend time needed for this action. It is necessary to put the muzzle along with halter, which might cause abrasions, but they would still be less than those from a cribber.

Usually, after taking off all the innovations preventing cribbing, the symptoms are intensified temporarily or permanently, and that, of course, is counterproductive.

Invasive methods

Thanks to modern medicine development, it is possible to surgically "get rid of" cribbing. Fragment of neck muscle and nerves responsible for cribbing are cut out. The treatment is expensive and requires full anaesthesia and recuperation. We should also be financially prepared for any possible complications. Efficiency of such treatment is assessed as approximately 70%. In cases of extremely advanced cribbing it is surely an option to consider.

Another popular treatment is to put metal rings or strips in the gums or between the teeth, and that causes pain while the horse tries to lean the teeth on a flat surface.

source: chronofhorse.com

It is a very drastic method, and like a cribber, it only temporarily nullifies the symptoms. The horse, not being able to lean his teeth on anything, could still learn to "crib" the air without it.

Remember that by depriving the horse of possibility of cribbing in a stall whether by putting on a cribber, or getting rid of all the possible elements that he could lean on in the stall, when he finds himself on a pasture and won't have any more restrictions, he would do that more intensely. What is more, he would spent his time on cribbing instead of enjoying the moment of freedom by grazing or playing with comrades.

Other solutions

Quite a new solution is acupuncture which has proven effective at many horses with cribbing, but only the one caused by digestive problems. It allows reduction or even complete abort of the symptoms. Unfortunately, at horses that the addiction is not caused by digestive system diseases, there have been no positive effects.

In America, at cribbing horses that have no stated illness that could cause cribbing, behavioural therapy developed by Mike Hughes is applied. The horse is being accustomed to unusual and stressful situations and ways of dealing with them. The author, who also occupies himself with natural training for horses, states that it has proven successful at all the cribbing horses he has dealt with.

How to prevent cribbing

In order to prevent cribbing from becoming our horse's everyday habit, it's good to follow a few simple rules.

1. Reduce time spent in the stable to minimum. 2. Provide your horse with everyday possibility of being on the paddock, so he can be in touch with other horses while eating volumetric fodder (grass). 3. Remember about balanced diet and frequent meals in small portions. 4. In case of first symptoms of cribbing, make sure that your horse does not have troubles with his digestive system. Research on cribbing are still in full swing, so it is possible that new discoveries in this field would soon help successfully treat it. We can only try to make sure that cribbing never affects our horse, and react as soon as possible if he is already showing symptoms of cribbing, especially finding its cause. We cannot allow our horse to get used to cribbing and let it become his everyday addiction.

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